“We believe higher education, especially for those with fewer means, needs our support more than ever. Financial barriers keep growing. These students have already done the hard work to earn a place at UCLA Samueli. The least we can do is pay it forward, as my parents once did for me, and help give today’s students the freedom to focus on their education without the constant weight of financial stress.” – Emily Naranjo Wasklewicz and Andy Wasklewicz

Emily’s UCLA Story

Q: Looking back, why did you choose to pursue your B.S. at UCLA Samueli? Do you have a favorite memory of your time here?
A: I chose to pursue my B.S. at UCLA Samueli for a few reasons. The school had a stellar reputation, offered a wide range of opportunities, and, let’s be honest, staying in-state helped make it more affordable. I was also incredibly fortunate that my parents, who had immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines when I was young, could cover not just tuition but living expenses as well. That gift of not having to worry about money is something I think about a lot now.

I do not have one standout memory from UCLA. What I took away was something bigger, a real understanding of who I was and what I could do. The School of Engineering gave me a safe space to learn, make mistakes, and figure things out. I would say I learned resilience during my time there. The coursework was tough, really tough, but engaging in a way that made you want to keep pushing.

I also learned something important about myself. I was far more energized by the intersection of engineering and business, or engineering and people, than by pure engineering alone. After graduation, I did not pursue a traditional engineering role. Instead, I landed a systems engineering position at Apple Inc. In a brutally competitive job market, the hiring team told me that my UCLA engineering degree clearly set me apart from other candidates. That opportunity launched a 20-year career at Apple, through all the ups and downs that came with it.

Q: How did your time as an engineering student influence your career path and approach to challenges, and were there any pivotal mentors or moments that inspired your commitment to giving back?
A: One of my earliest wake-up calls came while volunteering with the student recruiter program at UCLA’s Undergraduate Admissions office. I was asked to speak at an event for parents of potential first-generation college students. One of the first questions I was asked was, “How did you know you wanted to go to college?”

I had to stop and think about that. For me, college was never a question, it was just a matter of which college. I grew up in a household where higher education was simply the next step. But standing in that room, I realized not every high school student with good grades and curiosity about the world has that same mindset. That experience opened my eyes to how much more we could be doing to make UCLA, and universities like UCLA, a reality for more students.

Andy’s UCLA Story

Q: Although you didn’t attend UCLA, what motivated you to join your wife in supporting engineering students, and how has her connection to the school influenced your perspective?
A: Education has always been a defining part of my life. With both my parents as educators and a career spent in educational technology, I’ve seen how access to the right opportunities can change lives. My own university experience reinforced how transformative higher education can be, both personally and professionally.

Seeing Emily’s deep connection to UCLA and the role the School of Engineering played in shaping her career made that even more tangible. When she talks about her time there, it’s clear the experience was meaningful to her. Supporting her, and helping open that same door for other talented students, feels like a natural extension of the work I have devoted my career to: advancing learning, innovation, and opportunity.

Q: What values or experiences in your own life shaped your decision to invest in first-generation college students?
A: Growing up in rural Vermont, I watched many students take their first leap into the unknown, leaving their small-town communities to pursue higher education without a clear roadmap. That stayed with me. Later, while earning my graduate degree at Arizona State, I led a community-to-university bridge program supporting students from migrant and Native communities across Arizona. We used technology as a bridge, helping students and their families see it not as something distant but as a tool for creativity, connection, and opportunity. Those experiences were among the most formative of my career.

I met students whose abilities were unmistakable, but who were navigating systems not designed with them in mind. Seeing how much they achieve when barriers are lifted reinforced my belief in equitable access to education. Supporting first-generation students matters to me, both personally and professionally.

Our UCLA Story

Q: What inspired you both to establish the Naranjo Wasklewicz Scholarship in Engineering, and why was now the right time?
A: As Andy and I enter retirement, we’ve been thinking more intentionally about how we want to live and the impact we hope to make. I have always been drawn to volunteering and community work, and recently we came across an approach that resonated deeply: instead of waiting to give after your lifetime, give when it can make the most impact. Why wait?

A: This is deeply personal for both of us. I am the daughter of immigrant parents who sacrificed to give me opportunities they never had. When I volunteered with the student recruiter program at UCLA, I saw firsthand that not every student grows up assuming college is a given.

A: Andy and I have an initial goal that is practical. We want to help defray some of the financial burden of attending a world-class university like UCLA. But beyond that, we hope this scholarship will serve as a reminder that dreams are valid and achievable. We want students to reach for the stars without constantly worrying about how they will pay for it.

A: Now is the best time to act. Don’t wait. With so many students needing a helping hand, think back to your own days at UCLA and what it meant to have opportunities open up for you. By establishing a scholarship, you can help someone else dream big, just as you did.

Yes, it requires resources, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start where you can and grow your gift over time. The important thing is to start. Work with the development team at UCLA Samueli. They will help you design the right structure and ensure your gift has the impact you hope for.

What excites us most about the years ahead is knowing that these talented, determined first-generation Bruins will go on to solve problems we cannot yet imagine. They will create technologies that change lives, lead companies that transform industries, and mentor the next generation of engineers.

And in some measure, we helped make that possible. That makes the effort feel deeply worthwhile.